So we are stuck. We can go out within the precincts of the town council only to buy groceries and/or medicines, or other necessary errands such as going to the bank or the post office.
We are as yet unsure if going for a walk, provided we keep our distance from other people (as we have been doing for the past few days) will be permitted.
Travel outside one’s own town of residence is permitted only for work, health reasons and for visiting relatives who need assistance.
Besides the obvious impact on birdwatching there is also the concern over conservation efforts all over the country, of which I have spoken briefly here.
This means that our birding for the time being will be strictly limited to what we can see in town (luckily a small one and we live on the edge of it), or from the car when I go to check on an elderly relative an hour’s drive away.
Unfortunately we don’t have a proper garden, just a small strip of grass with a few rose bushes and a baby cherry tree by the road, which doesn’t provide entertainment in the form of bird life.
We do have some feeders at the back, next to our garage, which borders on a wooded area. In the past we have recorded up to 20 species here in winter, including Dunnock, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Crossbill, Hawfinch and Sparrowhawk. In the past couple of years however most of the pine trees closest to the garage have been chopped down :C , meaning that there is a large emptyish space (apart from some smaller shrubs) between the wooded area and the feeders, and species numbers have decreased considerably. Nuthatch was one of the most reliable visitors but this winter we have seen it only a few times, the Crossbills haven’t been seen for years, together with Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits and Dunnocks.
The most assiduous customers are the 4 species of Tits in order of frequency: Coal, Marsh, Blue and Great and, from late December to March, the terrible Siskins, which descend on our feeders like the Huns, sometimes 60-80 at a time, destroying our supplies of sunflower seeds and home-made fat balls (recipe here) in no time at all and chasing away the shier tits. But the last few days have brought some welcome surprises on which I will elaborate below.
Anyway, to pass the time while we are stuck at home I will try to post what little we can see at the feeders, during our brief jaunts into town and my drives to my relative’s place. Sort of a blog from the quarantine area! Stay tuned for the updates!
The record shots below are from years ago. No snow this year. The mildest winter ever recorded.
We are as yet unsure if going for a walk, provided we keep our distance from other people (as we have been doing for the past few days) will be permitted.
Travel outside one’s own town of residence is permitted only for work, health reasons and for visiting relatives who need assistance.
Besides the obvious impact on birdwatching there is also the concern over conservation efforts all over the country, of which I have spoken briefly here.
This means that our birding for the time being will be strictly limited to what we can see in town (luckily a small one and we live on the edge of it), or from the car when I go to check on an elderly relative an hour’s drive away.
Unfortunately we don’t have a proper garden, just a small strip of grass with a few rose bushes and a baby cherry tree by the road, which doesn’t provide entertainment in the form of bird life.
We do have some feeders at the back, next to our garage, which borders on a wooded area. In the past we have recorded up to 20 species here in winter, including Dunnock, Nuthatch, Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Crossbill, Hawfinch and Sparrowhawk. In the past couple of years however most of the pine trees closest to the garage have been chopped down :C , meaning that there is a large emptyish space (apart from some smaller shrubs) between the wooded area and the feeders, and species numbers have decreased considerably. Nuthatch was one of the most reliable visitors but this winter we have seen it only a few times, the Crossbills haven’t been seen for years, together with Goldcrests, Long-tailed Tits and Dunnocks.
The most assiduous customers are the 4 species of Tits in order of frequency: Coal, Marsh, Blue and Great and, from late December to March, the terrible Siskins, which descend on our feeders like the Huns, sometimes 60-80 at a time, destroying our supplies of sunflower seeds and home-made fat balls (recipe here) in no time at all and chasing away the shier tits. But the last few days have brought some welcome surprises on which I will elaborate below.
Anyway, to pass the time while we are stuck at home I will try to post what little we can see at the feeders, during our brief jaunts into town and my drives to my relative’s place. Sort of a blog from the quarantine area! Stay tuned for the updates!
The record shots below are from years ago. No snow this year. The mildest winter ever recorded.